With filming for Series 5 well underway, and a few vague titbits revealed in interviews, it is high time for some speculation on where Merlin might be headed.

The producers have promised that the young wizard will become a more powerful character, but should the series be focusing more on him and less on Arthur, Gwen and the Knights?

Let’s take a look at some of the arguments for and against…

For

Merlin is clearly powerful. We’ve been told this repeatedly and yet he rarely gets the opportunity to do anything more than simple distractions and parlour tricks. When he is truly unleashed the consequences can be devastating, such as the punishment dealt out to Agravaine in Series 4’s finale.

He needs to explore his powers further and, now that the limiting factors of his age and self-confidence appear to be melting away, it seems a natural step. For him to remain nothing more than Arthur’s servant will make a mockery the character development which seemed to finally occur last series.

In the past, Merlin has always been held back by his respect for Gaius, heeding the old man’s advice. He has also taken his cues from the Great Dragon, despite the magical creature clearly working to its own agenda. Were he to lose one or both of them as a mentor, there is surely the potential for him to be drawn down a darker path with his powers and it would tie in with the promise that he is to be tested.

With his clever stage-management of The Sword in the Stone, Merlin has more than proved he is adept at guiding Arthur and has set the young King on the right course. With Queen Gwen at his side, perhaps Arthur won’t be quite so rash and Merlin’s role as counsellor, albeit in the guise of servant, won’t be needed. Co-creator Julian Murphy has teased “more stories in this series in which Merlin acts alone proactively“.

In The Secret Sharer, we saw that Merlin was not alone and there are others out there, like Alator of the Cathar, who he might call on. Wouldn’t it be great to see him step out of Arthur’s shadow and find some magical allies of his own?

Against

Rather than devoting itself to just one character, the show is arguably more about the fate of a nation. Despite bearing his name, Merlin is really about the wizard’s pivotal role in the creation of Albion. We’ve seen him defend the potential of this great nation repeatedly, putting the elements of the legend into place whilst at the same time standing in the background and pulling Arthur out of trouble.

For the show to focus fully on Merlin’s character now, at the expense of its large and talented ensemble cast, would be to lose its heart. Yes, it’s a ‘coming of age’ story, but for all the young characters, not just for Merlin.

We should care about the stories of Arthur and Gwen, the Knights and all because Merlin does and because they all have a part to play. If Merlin develops and becomes too powerful, it will limit the ability to tell involving stories as everything will be resolved by a clash of magic.

Meanwhile, there is so much more to see in the Arthur and Gwen relationship, with the writers hinting at “a very different role [for Gwen] than she’s had in previous seasons”. Can she really handle the move from polishing the throne to sitting on it?

Also, the fallout from the Lancelot situation was left somewhat unresolved as Morgana’s magical hand in Gwen’s betrayal remains unseen. With Janet Montgomery announced to reprise the role of apparently perfect Princess Mithian, surely there are some rocky time ahead for Camelot’s first couple?

Lindsay Duncan’s Queen Annis is set to return too, perhaps offering a level of political machinations that we have not seen before. Merlin needs to be in the midst of this, guiding people towards this destiny for the good of all, rather than perusing his personal development.

The producers have stated the aim of a fully fledged Camelot and this could mean the installation of a proper Round Table, as glimpsed at the end of Series 3, bringing with it a very different tone to the show. We could see Arthur and his Knights ruling in a more consensual manner, with greater potential to get to know the lesser characters such as Gwaine, Elyan and Percival.

Camelot is what Morgana covets. She isn’t an enemy of Merlin personally, and indeed they have plenty in common, but rather she is pitted against Arthur who has stolen her birthright and continues their father’s violent stance on magic.

With the druid boy Mordred resurfacing (recast as Alexander Vlahos), another character with an infamous destiny, there should be plenty to keep the young wizard, and his friends, busy at home.

Do you think the show should focus on the title character more? Let us know below…

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